We like ships, we like water and we like to explore new regions. We took a journey on a ship that combines the joy of traveling with locals with the luxury of cruise facilities. The Hurtigruten ferries that go up and down the coast of Norway offer just that. Many locals use this service as a fast and comfortable way to travel quickly from northern Norway to the south and vice versa and anywhere in between. Having said that the majority of those on board were tourists.
We sailed with the MS Finnmarken and journeyed from Bergen to Kirkenes and back, stopping at about 34 ports in just under 2 weeks.
We traveled in December and once you cross the Arctic Circle it’s dark for most of the day. You catch a glimmer of daylight around midday but you never see the sun. This is where the northern lights can be seen.
One of our main aims for this trip was to see the northern lights and we did so clearly on 3 occasions. It’s spectacular to see this curtain of light shifting and changing above you in the winter sky. Hurtigruten guarantee a sighting of the northern lights and if there are none to be seen they offer you another cruise but it’s unlikely that they don’t appear. At times you see a faint green shimmer and at times a jaw dropping spectacle.
You have to be outside on deck for this and it is cold so dress warm. After a while my neck started to hurt from staring up but I was too excited and didn’t want to miss seeing any of the sightings. At times the lights revealed themselves for the briefest moment and a times it went on for half an hour or so covering huge swathes of the sky.
Hurtigruten operate cruises in the northern and southern hemispheres and are increasing their routes. They brand themselves as a sustainable cruise liner. I don’t know what it is that sets them apart in this respect other than they use local produce in their kitchen. The ships run on diesel fuel.
Operators that offer tours to the masses to historically difficult to get to areas are in my mind not a good thing. Parts of this planet should stay unspoiled and remain protected by their remoteness.
But back to the journey – it was cold – at times it was stormy – it was dark – but it was beautiful. The many small communities en route, the history of these communities like Hammerfest with its arctic hunting roots and Kirkenes on the border of Russia all provided stunning scenery and interesting stories.
Hurtigruten offer a number of excursions – at an additional cost – and we opted for dog sledging near Tromso, took a trip to North Cape, a trip to the Russian border and a tour of the area around Harstad. We ventured to the ice hotel in Kirkenes under our own steam – avoiding the rather expensive excursion fee.
Life on board is relaxed and the cabin was comfortable – the buffet food is good and there are sufficient dishes for vegetarians (not too many vegan options). Now and again there is a sit down meal when you are waited on.
The quality of the vegetarian food served wasn’t to write home about. I once asked what we had just been served and the waiter replied: “it’s vegetarian”. And there you have it when you are vegetarian you are given vegetarian. If you like fish you will be in heaven but remember that Norway is king of fish farming which is a threat to native species and farmed salmon contains a lot of pesticides.
We hit force 10 just outside Hammerfest and it was a blast – we enjoyed the movement of the ship and the wind but sadly a lot of passenger suffered with sea sickness so keep this in mind if you are thinking of going on this cruise.
Below is a film of our journey – enjoy and as always let me have your thoughts.
Such a beautiful part of the world!